Related Stories

An HIV positive youth pastor at a church in Courtice is accused of luring a 15-year-old boy online and attempting to meet the youngster for “a sexual encounter.”

Durham Regional Police claim the 42-year-old Newcastle man, who allegedly used collegetoy2033 as his profile name, befriended the teen online not knowing the boy was actually an undercover Internet Child Exploitation unit officer.

“Investigators met the accused at the prearranged location and after being taken into custody, it was determined (he) is a youth pastor with the (Trulls Road) Free Methodist Church in Courtice, Ontario, and has travelled extensively over the last decade,” Det. Randy Norton said Friday.

However, he was quick to point out “this luring incident is in no way connected to the church.”

Kris Allan Gowdy, who was taken into custody Thursday, is charged with luring a child via computer and attempted aggravated sexual assault.

Debi Gunter, office administrator at Trulls Road Free Methodist, said the church was not immediately prepared to comment on the arrest.

“The church is fully cooperating with police,” she said. “And obviously we have zero tolerance for this sort of thing.”

Police claim Gowdy admitted in 2009 he had been diagnosed with HIV and that he may have contracted the virus some time in the 1990’s.

“The accused had an extensive social media presence and investigators are concerned there may be further victims,” Norton said.

He said the accused was also a church youth counsellor in several communities across Canada, including Sussex, NB, Amherstview, ON, and Saskatoon, SK, as well as south of the border in Rochester, NY.

Anyone with new information in this case is asked to contact Det. Randy Norton at 1-888-579-1520, ext. 5363, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).